Belle's Journey
by Fangirl5678
Summary: This is a spinoff of "Regina and the Rumbelle Problem". One-shot. Where we find out why Belle turned down Gaston so abruptly.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: If you haven't read _Regina and the Rumbelle Problem,_ this probably won't make sense. Just a recap, this is what happens to make Belle turn down Gaston.**

**Don't worry, I'm not abandoning my other work. I just felt like this needed to be done first. (Or at least started)**

_**I don't own anything having to do with Once Upon a Time**__**  
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**I hope you like what I've come up with! :)**

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_Prologue_

When I woke up after Blue's magic knocked me out, I found myself already laying in bed. It was strange that I had no memory of getting there. Sunlight was pouring into my room despite the drawn curtains. I looked around my room to see everything in disarray. Nowadays my room was pretty much spotless from all the cleaning I'd done in the Dark Castle, but I guess old habits die hard. Judging by the light coming from outside, it was roughly ten in the morning. I sighed and winced as I sat up. I must have hit my head hard when Blue did... whatever it was she'd done.

I heard a huge crash then a roar from outside. Before I could get up to check what it could have possibly been, Maggie rushed in. "Oh, Miss Belle! Good, you're awake. They're making their way closer to us by the minute. Quick, I'll help you get dressed and we can head downstairs."

I had a strange sense of déjà vu. Then I noticed the gold gown that Maggie picked out. "Where did you get that?" I asked. I hadn't seen it since I'd left the castle with Rumplestiltskin.

"It's been in your closet for a good year." She gave me an odd look. Maggie held up the dress, "Come now! Your father was thinking about sending for an expert. Don't want to look homely in front of him."

Another snarl came from outside. Against Maggie's wishes I threw open the curtains to see ogres fighting our small army and, unfortunately, winning. Some of the cottages were smashed to pieces while others were engulfed in flames in the early morning darkness. Realization hit me like a large whack to the head. It couldn't have been more than four in the morning. I backed away from the window, letting the curtain fall with it. It wasn't the sun shining through my window it was houses burning. My people _burning_. I tried, in vain, to slow down my heart. I was back. I was back in the ogre wars.

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**Yes, I know it's short. But it's a prologue to get everyone's attention. Leave me alone! Haha, kidding. I love my readers.**

**Please review! :)**


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: So, you decided to come back for more! Knew you couldn't stay away! :)**

**NOTICE: Just to let you know, if the writing is italicized, it means that they're the fake memories bleeding though. They can be skipped and read alone too. We'll be going deeper into what Regina gave Belle. **

**Enjoy!**

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_Chapter One_

Maggie shook me from me reverie, "Miss Belle, there is no time to lose."

I scurried around the room putting on my undergarments and gown before I pinned my hair in a half up-do. Maggie and I descended to the dining hall together. Along the way we passed Gaston who was approaching from the opposite direction. The man cleared his throat, "Belle! You're up especially early." He looked flustered and tugged a bit on his lapels to straighten them out.

Something was off about this picture. The way I remembered this going:

_I rushed down the stairs as soon as Maggie helped me dress. Gaston was at the bottom waiting for me with a faint smile on his lips. Given the circumstances I was surprised he could even do that. He offered his arm and we briskly walked to the dining hall. He pulled out a chair for me to sit at and kissed me lightly on the cheek before making his way over to the battle plans. _

"As are you." I said, waving my hand in his direction. Babette, my father's personal maid, stepped into the corridor from behind Gaston. The look on her face could only be called 'glowing'. I'm ashamed at the thoughts that ran through my head at that moment. And I was confused as to why my fiancé wasn't waiting for me like he _should_ have been.

Maggie must have noticed the elephant in the room and came quickly to my aid, "Miss Belle, your father did tell me to make haste." She prodded gently. I took my eyes off Babette. I didn't know how long I was staring, but it must have been a while since blinking made my eyes water slightly. Giving Maggie a smile, I allowed her to sweep me off to Maurice.

My father greeted me good morning with a brief hug. He apologized for being woken up so early, but that it was imperative that I be there. In a time of war, you want your loved ones around you as much as possible because something could happen and might be too late. Afterwards he instantly went back to their battle plans where Gaston was already stationed. The soldiers surrounding them were only boys. Though I learned never to judge a book by its cover, the 'soldiers' couldn't have been more than thirteen. They put on a brave face, to be sure, but their eyes sought to go home to be with their families as they died. My heart went out to them.

I knew that my father and Gaston wouldn't wave me over to include me in their decisions. It wasn't proper for a woman to know so much about battle tactics, but I knew them. Not only because I read about them, but because my father was the King. A brave leader of wars. The best of the best.

The curtains were not drawn in this room so I decided to steal more than a glance out of them. People were running everywhere trying to escape their inevitable doom. Fires swarmed around homes and crops as they died. I heard my heart pounding in my ears and all of the arguing intensified making it impossible to think. A single tear dropped from my cheek. Then all of the noise stopped. Blue hovered beside me, "Miss Belle, do you know why you're here?"

I looked around the room to see that no one was moving. As if time had frozen. I took a shaky breath and turned to her, "I think it's because I'm getting my memories back, right? M-my real memories?" I asked her, uncertainly.

"Yes, I was able to extract the dark magic within you, but all magic comes with a price. This is yours." Blue said, regretfully.

I glanced out the window once more. A little girl was screaming in the direction of the knight that left her in the ruins of her home to fight. I closed my eyes, "So, what exactly does this mean?"

The fairy answered me quickly, "You will be reliving each moment from before you were cursed. But don't worry, this is all going on inside your head. Right now you're sleeping soundly in the woods."

"So, if none of this is real, what happens if I wake up before going all the way to the point when I was cursed?" I asked.

She flinched, "I'm sorry, Belle. If you wake before the event happens, then I fear that your memories will be permanently lost." Sensing my uneasiness she added, "Don't fret, I'll make sure you're left alone for as long as you need to rest."

I shifted my glance to my father and thanked her, "They seem so real. How is that possible if this is just a dream?"

Blue smiled, "This isn't any old dream, Belle. These are memories of what were and what could still be. Everyone in this place is an excellent representation of who they truly are." I couldn't think of anything else so say. So the fairy took my silence as a hint, "Good luck, Belle. I'll be there when you awake."

With that, she was gone and everything came back to life. My father and Gaston were still arguing over the next plan of attack, and the little girl, who I saw earlier, was dragged away by an ogre for making so much noise. Enough was enough! My people were dying. I was _not_ going to just sit here.

I rounded to the table where the plans were laid out, "I think it's time for immediate action!" I called, making their heads snap up, "Maggie said you were thinking of consulting an expert." I focused on my father, "I think that's wise. They could be the key we're looking for to save our town." I smiled, then shifted my attention to both of them, "While you two are arguing, more and more of our people are suffering. Let's do something rather than just sitting with our thumbs in not-so-bright places." As I finished my speech at a rapid rate, I exhaled deeply.

My father and fiancé were dumb-struck. Finally Maurice broke the silence, "My dear, I believe you're right." He said, moving around the table to wrap me into a hug, "Now is the time for action." He pulled back and asked Maggie to send the pre-written letter to Rumplestiltskin. Butterflies rose in my stomach. I couldn't tell if it was because my father thought I was right or that he invited Rumplestiltskin to help which in turn caused my slavery to him. It was most likely nerves for having to leave with Rumplestiltkin, again. On the other hand, it couldn't be. Because whatever I was feeling, I liked it.

I shoved the thought aside as Gaston approached me when my father left to talk to another foot-soldier. Gaston gave me a smile and took my hand, "Belle, I think it would be a good idea if you left the battle plans to us."

I squinted my eyes at him, "I helped you both make an impossible decision just now, and you're telling me to back off?"

"It's my firm belief that we would have come to the solution at some point. After we exhausted all other methods." My fiancé's voice now became hard and callous.

I removed my hand from his and backed away, "You mean _after_ all of our people have lost hope that help is coming?"

He sighed, "I just would have preferred that we call upon the Dark One as a last resort."

"We've been fighting this battle for over two months now! It seems like we're there. What else could we possibly do?" I scowled at him.

Gaston was silent for a moment, and leaned in to whisper in my ear, "Listen, Belle, I am a firm believer that a woman should be seen and not heard. You will learn that while you are my partner, wife and mother of my children... You will speak only when spoken to." He walked off muttering something like 'damn books'.

With that spine-chilling statement, Gaston confirmed my fears about him. He didn't care about me. It was just advantageous to be engaged/married to me. How could I have been so blind? I'd overheard the some servants talking about him in the hallways. Their hushed tones actually carried easily. They spoke of his past expeditions with women he'd been with and I'd simply written it off as a miscommunication. But, from what I saw earlier in the hall, the rumors were true. So, I made it a point not to be alone with him anytime soon.

_After some debate, Gaston finally convinced my father to call Rumplestiltskin to help us. He came to sit with me as we waited for the Dark One to save our town. I hoped the promise of gold would be enough. I'd heard about some of his transactions and they never ended well. Gaston held my hand and constantly reassured me that everything was going to be okay. He was the rock I could easily stand on. Even as children, Gaston was always the one taking care of me. And I couldn't wait to return the favor. _

_When we heard the knock at the door, he immediately put himself between myself and whoever was out there. __Then we heard a voice from behind us and spun around. The creature that sat there was one of the most vulgar beings I'd ever set eyes on. When he asked for me as a price, I clutched to Gaston, but I knew I had to do this for everyone I held dear. I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye before I was roughly shoved out of the room and taken to Rumplestilitskin's castle._

Hours passed while we were barricaded in the dining hall. "He didn't come. Here the ogres are at our front door and he's not here. I should have known." My father stated as he sat in his chair in the corner.

I rushed over to him, "Father, you mustn't think like that. There is still a chance he will come. We have to have hope. How can we expect our people to have hope if we do not?" I said, resting my hand on his arm. I gave him a small smile when there was a knock on the door. This was it. The guards were going to open the door to nothing there. Maurice stood and demanded that they unlock the doors, baffled that anyone could get past his walls.

I knew better, and I saw him before he even spoke a word. He looked startled that I had noticed him, and gave me a once over before speaking, "Well, that was a bit of a let down." Everyone turned to him as he giggled, "You sent me a message, something along the lines of: 'Help! Help! We're dying! Can you save us?!' Now the answer is," I was pushed behind Gaston as he rose a sword to the Dark One's face. It took all my strength to not cringe at the touch. Rumplestiltskin smacked down the sword pointed at him, "Yes, I can. Yes I can protect your little town... For a price."

"We sent you a promise of gold." Papa said also standing in my way.

Rumplestiltskin shrilled, "You see, that's not going to work because I _make_ gold."

"Whatever your price is, I'll match it." The King replied, urgently.

The Imp giggled once more, "My price... is her." He replied pointing to me. When I'd heard his price the first time, I'd thought that it was the honorable thing to do. For my town. Now my mind went straight to the fact that I'd be able to get as far away from Gaston as I possibly could. Then I remembered who I was thinking about leaving with and I back-tracked.

My father refused and told him to get out of his castle. Gaston and Maggie agreed profusely. There was a moment that even I was tempted to agree, but my people were dying and I didn't want to be the cause of it. As Rumplestiltskin was about to leave, "Wait," He stopped and turned toward me, "if I go with you, my family, my friends... they will all live?" I asked.

"You have my word!" He bowed, placing a hand on his heart.

I swallowed, "Then you have mine." There were more protests coming from behind me, "No one decides my fate but me! I will go with him." I stated with my head held high.

My father tried again to convince me otherwise. I explained to him that my decision was final when the Dark One came up behind me. My mind flashed back to a dream I had during my cursed state which caused a delightful shiver run down my spine. I composed my face quickly to one of disgust. This was the Dark One, the person that made my experience at his castle a living hell. "You know, she's right." He stated pointing to me, "The deal, is struck." I was able to say one last goodbye before Rumplestiltskin guided me out into the main hall where he transported us to his castle in a cloud of smoke.

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**Let me know if the old memories are too much and I can figure out another way to add them in.**

**Please Review! I'd love to hear from you! :)**


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